The Curse of the Golden Jaguar
by Rogue Amazon Boo
Summary: As Henry and Maggie's relationship changes, Henry, Jasper, and Maggie face the most important mystery of their lives.  One that holds the fate of the world in its hands.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Don't sue please.**

**Author's note: This is a Henry and Maggie story; proceed at your own risk. This story takes place approximately two years from the current time line so it would be the beginning of their senior year.**

**The Curse of the Golden Jaguar**

**By **

**Rogue Amazon Boo**

The museum was quiet at night in the way of old tombs and cemeteries. Not a normal quiet, but a stillness that was eerie and chilly. Old ghosts roamed, revenants carried across oceans in artifacts that were all too often exhumed from graves. The night suited the figure in black.

Silent as a whisper, the cloaked figure glided across the museum floor, avoiding the electronic security devices. The apparition was a ghost, a shade from the underworld both solid and ethereal. It had a destination in mind.

The velvet draped display case it sought was in the center of the room surrounded by pressurized alarm pads and infrared beams. The case itself had a pressure pad that would instantly incase the artifact in steel and drop it into a vault below. It was one of the most sophisticated security systems in the world.

The wraith seemed to ghost through it all and vanish into mist. When it was gone the display case was empty. The artifact was gone. The silence of the night became choked with the inaudible moans of the dead lamenting the beginning of the end of the world.


	2. Just Friends?

Normal and Henry Griffin; it was an oxymoron. Maggie Winnock watched, bemused, as he did some overly complicated dance step and then leapt back as if he was startled by something large and poisonous. He twisted his hip, jumped, landed, and turned again.

"Henry, what are you doing?"

"The Akembe. Ms. Hillerson is teaching a chapter on courtship and how practices are determined by existing social norms and conventions. I thought for my project I would present the traditional dance of the Iteso of Uganda and show how in tribal culture dance is the primary form of celebration and union."

"Courtship, huh," she drawled, trying not to notice how incredibly good he looked in a thin blue tank top that was molded to his chest. He smiled up at her and Maggie looked quickly away to hide the blush that was rapidly spreading over her cheeks.

This was getting ridiculous. She'd known Henry for almost two years now and he shouldn't be affecting her like this. Studying him clinically, Maggie was willing to admit that Henry was attractive. After all she was a normal, healthy teenage girl and she could appreciate eye candy just as much as the vapid and brain dead cheerleaders could. The difference between her and them was that she was able to note the attraction and forcefully dismiss it not long after she'd met him. Attraction was chemical, it was easy to ignore. She'd done it before when she felt she was drawn to other hot but inappropriate guys. The problem lately was that those defenses she'd cultivated didn't stop her from admiring his character.

Being friends with Henry and Jasper led to deeper involvement, and deeper involvement led to her carefully constructed internal defenses being shot to hell. She had to find out what a fascinating person he was, had to find out how sweet and sometimes naïve he could be, and how smart he was in a way that was so different for her own bookish intelligence. He had to go and make himself real to her instead of just tempting eye candy.

A shadow crossed her expression and she shivered slightly. She could have continued ignore her evolving feelings if he hadn't been the one to find her in the Doum rooms after…She cut that line of thought off. There was no way she was going there right now, or come to think of it, ever again. Not if she wished to keep her sanity. Sighing, she hoisted herself up on a nearby table, the denim legs of her jeans rubbing against her skin as she slid back to rest her shoulders against the wall. He was dancing again and that nervous twisty feeling in her gut intensified.

"Speaking of dances, who are you going to take to the black and white ball?"

He didn't pause in his routine as he twisted again and shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it. Wasn't even sure I was going to go until Uncle Brian pointed out that since this is a ball that brings all of the people who donate to and are in charge of grant funding, and my parents relay on grant funding, perhaps it would behoove me to attend so they can understand the import of said funding to those in the field. His words not mine."

She smirked. "I can't see you networking."

He paused, that adorable puzzled look he sometimes got on his face. "Networking?"

"Making business contacts in order to get what you need at a later date. Schmoozing, making nice with the people who hold the purse strings."

A vague hint of distaste crossed his features. "That sounds…really awful. Does Uncle Brian really believe I am capable of…schmoozing?"

She hopped back down off the counter and approached him. "I think he just expects you to be yourself. You don't need to schmooze. You have that weird sort of charm that people respond to. You'll be fine."

She absentmindedly patted him on the shoulder, enjoying the feel of his skin under her fingers and feeling conflicted and annoyed that she enjoyed it. She went to remove her hand and he caught her wrist. Startled, her brown eyes shot up and collided with his hazel ones. He caressed the pulse point and she felt heat clench her stomach. Praying he couldn't see her silly feelings written all over her face she tugged free of him. He was looking at her rather intently.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Her hands went up to rub against her cheeks. His regard didn't waver.

"Would you go with me?"

"What?" He couldn't be asking what she thought he was asking.

"Would you go with me…to the ball?"

Maggie couldn't answer for a moment, she just stared slack jawed.

"I-I…that is…what?"

Hastily he rushed to explain. "I could use a friend there and I thought it might even be fun. After all they are unveiling Dr. Sorreson's latest discovery from that dig in Mexico. You don't have to though. I'm sure you already have a date so we can just disregard the last few moments if you…"

She jumped in to interrupt. "No, no I don't have a date and yeah it would be fun."

"Just as friends Maggie, I swear."

A little disappointed, vexed with herself that she was feeling disappointed, and trying not to show it she smiled. "Right…just as friends. Don't worry Henry you'll be great." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Well I have to go. My Dad is expecting me for our weekly father-daughter brunch date. Tell Jasper to e-mail his part of the lab report to me tonight so I can put it all together."

He smiled, boyish and handsome. She melted a little more. Maggie felt a headache coming on and was starting to wonder when she'd become such a simpering…girl.

"I will. Have fun with your dad, Maggie."

She graced him with one last smile and then let herself out the back door. Henry watched her go until he could no longer see her. Jasper chose that moment to enter the kitchen.

"That was smooth, cuz, real smooth." Henry stifled a groan and sunk down into a nearby kitchen chair.

"I'm sorry Jasper but my experience in this area is limited."

His cousin flopped down in the chair next to his with a smirk. "Yeah well, I know from personal experience that asking Maggie Winnock on a date is enough to make the most courageous of us feel faint. Should I get the smelling salts before you swoon Aunt Ester?"

Henry glared at him. "You are enjoying this entirely too much."

He shrugged and placed his hands behind his head, leaning back. "What can I say? The great charismatic Henry Griffin, world traveler, adventurer, and for some unfathomable reason, babe magnet has met his match. I am going to love watching her lead you around by your freakishly sensitive nose."

Henry met his cousin's eyes, serious. "Are you sure your okay with this Jasper? Me pursuing Maggie? I know that you use to…"

Jasper cut him off. "I know where your going with this and don't worry about it. Part of me will always have a soft spot for Mags, but whatever crush I had on her when we were younger has changed." He abruptly stood and turned to face his cousin. "I will say this. Hurt her and martial arts guru or no, I'm gonna kick your ass."

He started to walk away and when he had just about turned the corner Henry replied.

"Whatever happened to Henry you're faster, stronger, and braver than I am." Jasper gave him a one finger salute and continued through the door and towards the stairs.

Henry was left alone with his thoughts. He'd pulled his legs up into the lotus potion and sat quietly. In the two years he'd been in the states he, Jasper, and Maggie had done some extraordinary things. They were almost legendary now at Smithson High. Jasper had spun most of their adventures to pad his application for Yale while Maggie was considering M.I.T and Stanford for their programs in Aerospace Engineering. Henry…wasn't sure what he wanted to do after High School. For as long as he could remember his biggest goal was to get back into the field and resume the type of lifestyle he'd enjoyed with his parents. Now though, with everything, he was seriously considering continuing his education in a more traditional setting.

He realized that much of these changes were due to Maggie. Maggie scolding him, pushing him, making him wanted to do better, to be better…to grow up. He was finding more and more that when she entered a room his eyes were immediately drawn to her. He admired her loyalty to her friends, her dedication to her studies, her analytical mind, her compassion, and her dry humor. He was also enough of a male to admit that he enjoyed watching her move. She was sinuous grace and beauty. She was all long dancer's legs, pert breasts, slender neck, fine boned hands, soft lips and liquid eyes. He reacted pretty much as any healthy teenage male would even when he tried not to because he didn't want to be disrespectful to her. He was also having vividly explicit dreams about her on a frequently reoccurring basis.

He'd wake up hard and panting and would have to meditate until he got his body back under control.

The breaking point came last month when she'd suddenly started dating Michael Stansville III. He was such a pompous, arrogant asshole that both Henry and Jasper hadn't known what to think. She'd seemed to really be into him though and then three weeks into their relationship Henry had found Maggie in the Doum rooms, crying.

"_Maggie?" The girl before him started and hastily started wiping her eyes._

"_H-Henry? What are you doing here?"_

_He smiled at her. "I work here, remember?" _

_She blushed, embarrassed. "O-Oh…right. Well I'll just…get out of your way."_

_She'd tried to bolt past him but he stepped in front of her and caught her, wrapping his arms around her so she couldn't get free. She struggled for a minute and growled._

"_Henry let me go."_

_He loosened his hold but didn't release her. "No Maggie, not until you tell me what's wrong? Why are you down here crying?"_

_She tried to push past him again and instinctively his hold tightened. Her reaction was instant and much too extreme. "No!" She screamed and started fighting him as if her very life depended on her getting away. He abruptly released her and she collapsed, bawling. Cautiously, he lowered himself to her level and in a soothing voice._

"_I'm not going to hurt you Maggie. It's me…Henry. I would never hurt you."_

_His tone was one he'd mastered over the years traveling through uncharted wilderness and dealing with all sorts of wild animals. He very slowly reached out to touch her shoulder and she recoiled. Not offended, he pulled his hand back and simply sat there, patient as a stone statue. Maggie gasped for air and control. She was humiliated and horrified that she couldn't seem to get her body or her emotions back under her command. When he tentatively reached for her hand again she grasped it like a life line. Slowly, as not to startle her, he pulled her into his arms. She went willingly and clutched at him._

_Henry simple held her, stroking her back and whispering nonsense. His calming presence had the desired effect and she eventually quieted._

"_What's happened Maggie?" She tensed and he continued those long, soothing strokes along her spine. She shuddered._

"_I-It was Michael. We were in one of the empty classrooms…kissing. It was getting a little…enthusiastic when he put his hands up my shirt and grabbed me. He s-squeezed hard and it hurt. I-I pushed him off and told him to s-stop, that I liked him but I wasn't r-ready for that. He—oh God Henry, the look on his face, it was s-so angry. He pushed me hard up against the desk and knocked the wind out of me. I was gasping for breath and he started pulling my s-shirt up and fumbling with my zipper. H-He called me horrible names and said that n-no one said no to him, e-especially not some lonely pathetic ice-queen that should b-be thanking God that he'd been willing to give her the slightest bit of attention. I was so freaked out. I-I managed to get a hold of his thumb somehow and I-I remembered t-that thing you taught me, the pressure point. He screamed and let me go and I r-ran. That was almost an hour ago and I-I've been too afraid to go back up there."_

_Henry didn't get angry often. Too many years of countless lessons from shamans, monks, witch doctors, priests, and every other type of holy man imaginable had given him a steady peaceful aura that was deeply ingrained. None of those lessons helped him right now. His state of Zen was non-existent as he battled the churning rage that demanded he go and find Michael and beat on him until he wasn't recognizable as human._

_He flashed back to one of his family's last trips to the Congo. He'd been hiding in an abandon shack with his mother and father while outside rebel and military forces collided in a battle that spared no innocents. He'd been barely seven at the time, but in the repressed part of his mind the held his darkest nightmares he never forgot what he'd seen. One of the villager's wives was being brutally raped by a solider and the villager pulled the man off his wife. He should not have stood a chance against the solider but he'd fought like a berserker and killed him—then he'd killed his wife and himself. _

_It was one of his darkest memories, and at that moment, holding Maggie, soothing her, he finally understood the type of rage that could drive a man to that kind of horror. Clawing for control he applied every once of his training and managed to keep his heartbeat steady and slowly released the rage. Maggie didn't need vengeance right now, she needed comfort._

Henry was jerked back to the present by the sound of a car door slamming. From the sound of the footfalls it was his Uncle Brian returning home from his meeting. Henry got up and headed for the back door. He needed some fresh air and room to move. He let himself out and headed down the street towards the park.

He and Maggie still hadn't talked about what happened that afternoon. She broke up with Michael and he was livid that she didn't report the incident. Henry had tried to persuade her to go to Uncle Brian or her father with what happened, especially since Michael had started stalking her in the halls at school but she wouldn't. He'd done what he could with the restrictions she'd given him. He walked her to and from all of her classes. Made sure he was with her after school if she had to stay late.

He became her shadow until she finally got fed up with him and told him in no uncertain terms that she was suffocating and needed some space. Frustrated because this wasn't the jungle and he couldn't go around beating the crap out of people he'd finally sat down with Jasper one night and told him an edited version of what had happened. Jasper was just as enraged as Henry had been but he was also less of the physical action hero type and more the brilliant devious mastermind type.

Two weeks ago Michael Stansville III was expelled permanently from Smithson High for multiply violations of the school's Academic Ethics Code. His permanent record was destroyed beyond recovery and he was going to be lucky to get into a third rate tech school much less realize his dreams of Harvard.

Jasper didn't admit that he'd had anything to do with it and Henry hadn't asked. Maggie still refused to talk to either of them about the incident but she did apologize to Henry for losing her temper with him. The important thing was that Maggie wasn't walking around terrified any longer and jumping at shadows. Henry frowned and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful that Jasper handled Michael but he was still unable to reconcile himself to how useless he'd felt.

It the face of Maggie's pain all he'd been able to do was attempt to protect her and comfort her. He still wasn't so sure that he'd succeeded but it seemed that Maggie had been more or less back to normal these days. The incident, however, had woke Henry up to feelings he'd been having for awhile now but had been unwilling to face. For a fearless teenager with the skills of a shaolin monk and an Indiana Jones complex he quailed in the face of pursuing these changing feelings for Maggie.

For two years, she, he, and Jasper had solved countless mysteries, found ancient artifacts, and thwarted thieves. She was one of the best friends he'd ever had. He didn't want to lose that. It took something like what had happened to drive home to him something he always applied to the rest of his life. Life was too short to shy away from risks. His experiences taught him about balance and the truth was that his life was out of balance when he ignored his growing feelings for his best friend.

It was time to take the biggest risk of his life. It was time to risk his heart.


	3. Not Your Every Day Cinderella

**Author's Note: I am just dropping a quick line to let you know that there might be a bit of time between updates. I usually have a story close to finished before I start posting it so there is more than this I've gotten done. I just have to proof read it and make sure that it is flowing the way I wish it too. The reason for the slow updates is that I've just been given a rather challenging trainee at work and will be devoting a lot of my free time to making sure she passes training and gets to keep her job. So this is just an FYI and thanks for reading!**

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Maggie looked at herself in the full length mirror in her bedroom and nervously smoothed the skirt of her dress down. The vintage black and white knee length formal gown crisscrossed over her breast, tapered at her waist, only to flare out at her hips. With her hair up and her mother's antique choker she looked like a forties movie star about to walk down the red carpet at the Oscars.

"It's just a ball Winnock. It doesn't mean anything. Breathe."

She'd slipped on her open toed heels and promptly stumbled, barely catching herself before she ate carpet. She cursed, a word falling from her lips that Henry and Jasper would be surprised she even knew, much less be willing to utter. The doorbell rang downstairs and a moment later she heard masculine voices in the hall. Plastering a smile on her face she opened her door and started downstairs.

Henry's voice stuttered to an abrupt halt when he saw her. She smiled, feeling shy, and he smiled back. She reached the bottom and stood in front of him. He swallowed convulsively.

"Maggie you look….beautiful."

Her smile widened. She was about say thank you but her father cleared his throat behind her, drawing her attention away from Henry.

"I have to agree. You look beautiful and way too grown up to be my little girl." She turned towards her dad and hugged him.

"Thanks Dad." He sighed and released her. "All right it is nineteen thirty hours and you have a dance to get to." He turned towards Henry and his expression tightened. He walked over and clamped his right hand on the boy's shoulder. Henry tried not to wince but didn't quite succeed.

"Henry I don't have to tell you how miserable I can make your life if my baby girl isn't back in this house precisely and twenty-three hundred hours."

He gave the older man a shaky smile and a firm nod. "Of course Colonel Winnock. I am honored that you've allowed me to escort your daughter this evening. You have my word that I will return her safely to you and we will be on time."

Maggie's father nodded, apparently appeased and released him. Henry reached out his hand to Maggie and she took it, allowing him to pull her to his side. He didn't immediately release her hand, instead she felt his thumb caress her pulse point and she shivered with awareness. She wanted to close her eyes and sigh but she knew that probably wouldn't be such a good idea in front of her father. It also didn't help that Henry looked good…really, really good in black tie formal. He also smelled fantastic, some sort of exotic spice and a scent she recognized as purely Henry; the scent of woods and wind and freedom. He was oblivious to her purely hormonal response to his touch and nearness. In that observant way of his he'd simply noted that she seemed nervous and he was caressing a known pressure point in order to calm her. Finally he stopped, much to her regret and placed the palm of his hand at the small of her back. They headed for the door.

"Bye Dad," Maggie said and Henry echoed. "Have a good evening Colonel Winnock."

They went outside and Henry escorted her to his car. It was an older model Jeep Wrangler that had once been army green but was now a combination of fading paint and white primer. He'd got it for a great price at a government surplus auction and had been fixing it up ever since. Thanks to the combined efforts of him, Maggie, and Jasper it ran great, even if he wouldn't allow her to convert it to running on french fry oil.

He'd put the top on for the evening and Maggie was grateful. She really hadn't wanted to arrive at the dance with the wind blown hair. He smiled at her as he chivalrously opened the passenger door. Normally, this would have rubbed her feminist sensibilities the wrong way, but he looked so hopeful and dare she think it cute, that she couldn't be annoyed with him. She got in the car and Henry closed her in before rounding the front and getting in the driver side. He grinned.

"All right, let's go rub knees with the big heads."

She smirked. "Elbows Henry it's, let's go rub elbows with the big wigs."

He shrugged. "That's what I said." He started the jeep and pulled out of Maggie's driveway. She watched him, trying not to laugh.

* * *

Henry stood at the punch table and watched as Maggie laughed at something the representative from MIT said while casting her eyes about. When they landed on him she grinned and he smiled back. Between them a few couples danced, but most of the people there were as Maggie called it, schmoozing. Henry didn't feel like attempting to schmooze. He was perfectly content to watch Maggie.

She really was breathtakingly beautiful.

He took his eyes off her for a moment to glance across the room. Dr. Sorreson was standing in a group near the corner. He knew the old man from his time spent in Oaxaca, Mexico. His parents had been there studying the history and customs of the Zapotec and Mixtec Indians at the cultural center as well as making arrangements to live with and study daily life among one of remaining traditional tribes in the area. They were studying both groups and were going to log differences and similarities.

Henry had always had only minimal interest in the research part of field research. He and Dante had shared what his mom called the heart of an adventurer. He enjoyed immersing himself in other cultures, but where his parents could be perfectly content studying domestic meal patterns for days on end, Henry preferred to get out and explore. He'd stumbled upon Dr. Sorreson, literally; on one of his treks through the mountainous range. The good Doctor had the temperament not to feed Henry to the jaguars when the boy had fallen into one of his cordoned off pits and almost broke a centuries old fertility idol.

Henry approached the group and before he reached them, Sorreson caught sight of him. The Doctor smiled in true pleasure.

"Do my eyes deceive me or am I truly seeing Henry Griffin at a formal function dressed as a gentlemen and not the devilish rapscallion I know him to be?"

Henry crossed the last few feet and held out his hand. Dr. Sorreson may have been in his early seventies but he was still strong. He gripped Henry's hand firmly and shook.

"It's good to see you my boy. How are your parents?"

"They're good, very good in fact. They finally got that grant to study the Inuit tribes in Canada. I might even be able to visit them in the summer since they will be so close to the states."

"Excellent! Ladies and Gentlemen if you will excuse me I would like to catch up with Henry." The group he was with nodded somewhat begrudgingly. To Henry he said. "Come, let us take a stroll. I've something to show you."

He allowed the old man to lead him away but not before checking on Maggie. Dr. Sorreson noticed and a half smile tugged at his lips.

"I assume by that rather protective glance that the beautiful young lady speaking with Alistair is your escort for the evening."

Henry's gaze jerked away and his ears turned red. "Um y-yes." He cleared his throat and more firmly replied. "Yes, Maggie is my date."

The Doctor clapped him on the shoulder. "Well then I will make sure this takes only a moment so that you may return posthaste before that very elegant young lady realizes what an unrepentant savage you are and decides to leave you."

Henry knew the words were said in jest but he couldn't help the tight feeling they caused in his chest. He was an unrepentant savage and Maggie was much too civilized for him. It didn't stop him from wanting her though.

Shaking off his depressing thoughts he followed his old friend. They cut through the crowds and he led Henry to the main display hall. Puzzled, Henry watched as Dr. Sorreson put his finger to his lips to indicate silence, crossed the hall, punched a code into the security lock, and stood before a red cloth draped case expectantly. Henry walked over to him.

"Dr. Sorreson?"

His ancient friend looked like a mischievous little boy as he whispered.

"I found it Henry. After a life time of searching, following obscure clues, I finally found it."

Henry was even more puzzled. "Found what?" Bemused, Sorreson circled the display. "The key to heaven my boy. I've found the key to heaven."

He was just about to pull the cloth off of the displayed when a raised voice from the entrance hall carried.

"You vindictive little bitch! How dare you get me expelled."

Henry froze, he knew that voice. Rage, thick and hot flowed through his veins as he bolted towards the foyer. Dr. Sorreson called for him to come back but he didn't listen.

He ran into the hall and the sight that greeted him made his blood run hot. Maggie was backed against the wall between two display cases while Michael Stansville III attempted to break away from the two security guards holding him back. He quickly crossed over to Maggie and placed himself between her and her ex-boyfriend.

"You need to go home, Michael and leave Maggie alone." His voice was calm and steady, muted in the way of someone in the throes of a rage so deep that they were exerting every once of control they possessed to keep it leashed. He knew that if he didn't he would end up mauling the other teenager.

Michael sneered. "Well, well, if it isn't everyone's favorite savage, Henry Griffin." He tilted his head to address Maggie. "I bet you're not a frigid bitch with Griffin. Just a bitch in heat. Probably can't get enough of him. How do you keep the animal leashed? I bet you suck his coc…"

Whatever else Michael was going to say was lost as Henry roared in rage. It seemed to happen in slow motion. He pulled his fist back and swung with every ounce of force he had. His knuckles caught the other boy's chin causing Michael's head to snap back with a crack. Stansville went limp and the security guards lowered him to the floor. Henry didn't even notice the blood dripping off of his knuckles.

Maggie made a choked sound and he went to pull her into his arms, but she backed away. The horror in her expression cut him to the quick and her refusal to accept comfort from him caused his chest to ache. Maggie looked away from him, humiliated and embarrassed.

An enraged female voice echoed across the room. "I demand someone detain that hoodlum. He has assaulted my nephew. Someone hold him while I ring the police."

Crisp and British, Henry would have known the voice anywhere. "Dr. Riker?" A stylishly dressed, well kept woman in her fifties walked towards them, her high heals clacking against the tile floor. She scowled at Henry.

"I always knew you were dangerous Mr. Griffin. What Dr. Sorreson saw in you, I shall never know. Guards, I demand you detain him, now."

The two guards in question, Davey and Ike; had worked for Smithson for years. They were ex-military, not known to take anybody's crap, and knew both Maggie and her dad. They both crossed their arms and refused to move, their eyes shining on Henry with approval.

Beyond angry, Dr. Riker looked at them and scowled. "Well? What are you waiting for? Do your duty or I will call the real authorities."

Ike replied. "With all due respect ma'am your nephew provoked Griffin into striking him. He might of even swung first. I don't know, it happened so fast. So if you call the police, might be that me and Davey saw something completely different than what you're thinking you saw. Be your word against both of ours."

She bristled. "Young man, there are dozens of witnesses. You can't possible believe you will get away with lying for this miscreant. I have friends on the museum board. I will have you both dismissed."

The guard pushed his hat up and gave her an indulgent smile. "Now, now, nobody said anything about lying. I'm just saying that in these situations where it happens so fast that sometimes what you think you saw you didn't see. Everyone around here though heard your nephew bad mouthing Miss Winnock ma'am, and well I reckon that any man wouldn't tolerate that kinda talk in front of a lady."

She turned red with indignation. "That trollop is no lady. I demand satisfaction. If you will not do anything about this…this atrocity then I have no choice but to rectify the situation. I am calling the police."

Ike's ice blue eyes went chilly and he was about to retort when a crash sounded. A few moments later Dr. Sorreson stumbled in.

"It's gone. It's gone," he choked, clutching at his chest. He took two more steps and collapsed.

"Dr. Sorreson!" Henry yelled and raced to his friend's side. He dropped to his knees next to the older man. "Somebody call an ambulance!"

He laid the old man flat, tilted his head back, and put his ear next to his mouth to see if he was breathing. He felt and heard nothing. Henry quickly pinched the nose shut, sealed his mouth over the other man's, and blew two breaths. He then started chest compressions.

"One, two, three, four, five…." He counted out loud until he reached thirty, only to blow two more breaths. He continued on, oblivious to how much time had passed, until two uniformed paramedics, a male and a female, arrived at the scene. They came in, pushed him aside, and took over. He stood there, feeling numb while they worked. He almost jumped when he felt long slim fingers entwine with his. He looked up and saw Maggie at his side. Her compassion almost unmanned him. She gently squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, glad that she was not longer recoiling from him.

The paramedics worked and after a few more minutes, stopped.

The dark haired female looked up; regret twisting her pretty features. "I'm sorry, he's gone."


	4. Hitting the Wall

Maggie Winnock sat on the bench nearest the door in the foyer. She felt empty as she watched uniformed officers and plainclothes detectives swarm over the corridors. They were questioning everyone there. They'd also tied off the area that contained the doctor's corpse, waiting for forensics to arrive. Henry was just down the hall being questioned by the lead detective in charge and every so often he would turn his concerned gaze her way.

It warmed her almost as much as the coat he draped over her shoulders and the mug of hot tea he'd handed her before being dragged away. She watched him as he answered questions and couldn't help but reflect that Henry looked as good disheveled as he did dressed to a polish. Right now his hair was mess, his white shirtsleeves were rolled up and he'd long since pulled off his bow tie and stuffed it in his pocket.

She watched his mouth moved and then moved her gaze to his eyes. Pain clutched at her chest. He looked so…bleak.

Michael had also come to and was now speaking with another officer on the far end of the room; his aunt at his side standing guard. Maggie felt a thrill of satisfaction when she saw his swollen jaw and black eye.

She wasn't one to usually condone violence. She couldn't begin to remember how many times she'd scoffed at Henry and Jasper when they were enraptured with some brutish manly display of testosterone that had her rolling her eyes. However, when Henry had decked Michael…

That fluttery, completely feminine reaction to an alpha male protecting what was his had yet to leave her. She was annoyed with herself that she felt this way and at the same time she regretted stepping away from Henry when he tried to embrace her. She still had no idea why she did that to him.

All she knew was that for a split second she was afraid of him and at the same time incredibly aroused. It had been too confusing and she'd known instinctively that if she collapsed into his arms like she wanted she might never want to stand by herself again. Her will was weak when it came to him. He could have so much power over her if she let him and those emotions frightened her. Sighing, she took a deep breath and inhaled his scent from his tux jacket. His scent around her caused liquid heat to pool in her stomach. She sat up and stiffened immediately when she realized what she was doing.

This was ridiculous. Yes, seeing Michael was a shock and yes, he did fling some hateful words at her, but she was made of sterner stuff than this. She was not one of those girls that swooned like some overly dramatic Victorian maiden. She was intelligent, self reliant, and able to look after herself. To prove it she looked across the room and right at Michael. He was staring back at her with such a look of malevolence that she gasped.

She ignored the trembling in her fingers and refused to look away. He mouthed something and when it registered she broke eye contact. She could feel herself hyperventilating and used every once of inner strength she had to get herself back under control.

Fear was a bitter pill to swallow and she loathed herself for allowing him to get to her. She couldn't shake it though because what he'd said rocked her universe on its axis.

_You're mine, Maggie. I can take you anytime I want._

_

* * *

_

Henry looked across the room at Maggie noticing how white she'd suddenly turned. With a muffled oath he followed her gaze to a smirking Michael. He clenched his fists. He wanted to hit him again. He was so involved in his murderous thoughts that he missed what the detective had just said to him. Forcing his mind back he asked.

"I'm sorry sir, what was that?" Detective Winston gave him a stern look.

"I said that we are done here. If we have anymore questions for you we will be in touch." Henry nodded and moved to head towards Maggie. The detective caught his arm.

"If I were you Griffin, I'd stay away from Stansville. I would hate to have to throw you in jail because of that little prick."

Henry grinned and nodded, but he made no promises. He wasn't in the habit of making vows he had no intention of keeping. The detective let him go and Henry quickly made his way over to Maggie. She started a little when he suddenly knelt down in front of her and seemingly without his permission his hand reached out, cupped her cheek. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone. Maggie inhaled sharply and quickly grabbed his hand moving it away. He winced and she frowned. His expression turned guilty and she narrowed her eyes as she turned his hand over. When she saw his blood crusted knuckles she hissed out a breath.

"Of all the boneheaded, Neanderthal moves," she muttered. He smiled, sheepish and then sobered.

"He deserved it Maggie. In fact he's lucky to be alive." Startled dark brown eyes shot to his and collided with hazel. The look in his eyes was one she'd never seen before. He looked dangerous, almost feral.

"Henry," she warned. "Don't you dare. He's human excrement and he's not worth it."

His expression softened and then went hard again. "He'll be fine as long as he never comes near you again. If he does though…"

She stiffened. "I can take care of myself." An enigmatic look clouded his features.

"I know that Maggie, but a very good friend of mine once told me that it is a warrior's duty to protect what is his. I consider you very much mine, Maggie Winnock."

The depth of his confession rocked her as did the hint of steel and vulnerability in his eyes. Strangely, the thought of belonging to Henry didn't distress her as much as her feminist sensibilities screamed at her that it should. It wasn't like Michael's claim. Michael's claim was about ownership. Even if she had never seen the scales beneath his camouflage she would never have been anything more than a possession to him.

Henry's claim was about emotion. He cared for her, trusted her, respected her, and didn't want anything to harm her. In short, he wanted to protect her. Her heart warred with her mind. Her heart wanted to accept what he was offering and see where it took them, but her mind reminded her that she had plans for her life. Plans which were important to her; plans that she wasn't sure she could compromise.

It was the desire to test the bounds of those plans that led her to the disastrous decision to date Michael in the first place. It was at the end of her junior year before school let out for the summer when she over heard one of her classmates talking. To this day, thanks to her photographic memory, she could recite the entire conversation verbatim.

"_Did you see Paula's nose? Talk about a hack job. She should really get her money back."_

_The male in the group groaned. "Man, I don't want to talk about that Sienna, I want the scoop on that fine piece over there." The girl scoffed. "Maggie Winnock? You don't stand a chance."_

"_Why? She got a boyfriend or something?"_

"_The Ice Queen? Hell no, the boys here aren't that crazy." She sighed. "Look Devon, you're new here so let me give you some friendly advice. That is the most driven, anal, obsessive compulsive, and uber smart girl at this school. I've never known her to date anyone long term. She sometimes goes to a casual dinner here and there, but that's it. Sorry sweetie, but you don't have the balls to thaw her. I don't think anyone does, not even her boys Griffin and Bartlett. How they don't have perpetual freezer burn I'll never know."_

It was the first time she'd paused to take a good, hard look at her life plan…and found it lacking. Maggie realized that the girl was right. She'd gone on casual dates here and there but never developed anything serious with anyone. At first she dismissed the thought as a silly aberration. What did she care what the brain dead masses she called fellow students thought?

She'd done her summer internships and hung out with Jasper and Henry when she could, but in the back of her mind she couldn't dismiss what she'd heard. Then she'd met Michael. Henry and Jasper had hated him, she'd known that, but he was good looking, smart, confident in the way of corporate CEOs, and he had seemed to like her a lot. So when he'd asked her on a date she'd said yes and they'd had a good time. He'd been charming and funny and his goals for his life seemed to seamless align with her own. So she'd agreed to go out with him again and before she'd known it, she had a boyfriend.

Maggie had enjoyed the attention. He was her first real boyfriend and the novelty of the experience overrode a lot of her misgivings. It also let her ignore something she'd only realized a couple weeks ago. It let her ignore her changing feelings for Henry. Then Michael had shed his false skin and revealed the snake beneath and now everything was so confused and out of balance. It had been mortifying for her that Henry was the one to find her in the Doum rooms, which was why she refused to discuss how the incident had affected her with either him or Jasper. She would not appear weak in the eyes of her two best friends.

Maggie's eyes met Henry's and she felt a tremor of fear dance along her spine which she concealed. She wanted to plead with him to let her handle Michael when a familiar voice interrupted.

"No, no, don't let me interrupt. I'll just wait by the car like a good little grossly underpaid servant."

Henry looked up and grimaced. "Sorry Jasper, the police detained us longer than expected. Thanks for coming though."

His cousin shrugged. "Yeah well, what good does sleep do me anyway? Especially since you have agreed to take on dish duty for the next month for my willingness to sacrifice my much beloved REM cycle.

Maggie looked from one boy to the other. "What favor? Jasper what are you doing here?"

"Henry called me. It seems I'm to be your escort home fair lady."

She turned confused eyes on the boy still on his knees in front of her. "All right, what's going on?"

He sighed and motioned Jasper closer so his voice didn't carry.

"How familiar are you with Aztec creation myth?"

Maggie frowned. "Which part? That is a complex mythology."

"The beginning; more specifically the part about Tezcatlipoca."

"According to Aztec myth it took the creator gods five times to create the world due to petty bickering and war between the gods. The first creator god, Tezcatlipoca, after being usurped, transformed into a jaguar and destroyed the world."

Henry nodded.

"When I was in Mexico with Dr. Sorreson he confided in me that he was looking for a specific artifact. Aztec religious practices were all about the power of sacrifice. The ancient Mexica people, which were the proper name for the Aztecs, believed as Maggie stated that it took five times to create the world. What's unique about this belief is that the world was created because the gods were willing to sacrifice themselves so that humans could live. Once the world was created the god Quetzalcoatl retrieved mankind's bones from the underworld and added his own blood to give humanity life."

Jasper interrupted. "So what does this have to do with Dr. Sorreson's artifact?"

"I was getting to that. Unlike other religions these were not free sacrifices. The Aztecs believed that the sky was an ongoing clash between light and darkness and in order to keep the sun moving across the sky the warrior sun required that they repay their gods blood for blood so that the sacrificed would rise up and help the sun in its ongoing battle with its eternal foe. They knew that one day the sun would lose. It was inevitable, and then the world would end."

Maggie piped up. "Henry, this is all very fascinating but like Jasper said, what does this have to do with whatever it was that Dr. Sorreson found?"

"Dr. Sorreson had been trying to prove a theory that he'd found compelling circumstantial evidence to support but nothing that would prove it absolutely. He found minor religious artifacts that led him to hypothesis that a fringe group formed. A cult if you will. This cult believed they were chosen to ascend with the gods the day the sun finally blinked out and rule with the dark in chaos. In order to expedite this occurrence they committed an atrocity. They trapped the essence of the first creator god in an idol, a golden jaguar. I think that is what Dr. Sorreson was going to revel tonight if he hadn't been killed. I think he found the idol."

"And someone has taken it." Maggie concluded. Henry nodded grimly. She frowned, puzzled.

"I assume you're staying because you want to take a look around but why call Jasper here just to take me home? We could stay and help you."

He wouldn't meet her eyes and she instantly became suspicious. "Henry, look at me." Reluctantly he did.

"Is there a reason you don't want me and Jasper here?"

Henry knew that whatever he said in the next few minutes would simple tick Maggie off but she wasn't leaving him much of an option.

"Dr. Riker was Dr. Sorreson's partner on that dig. I need to talk to her."

"What does that have to do with anything? Why…" she trailed off as it dawned on her and her eyes narrowed. Her voice was a low, angry hiss.

"This is because of Michael isn't it? Because she's his aunt. You don't think I can handle being involved in this. Well let me just tell you something Henry Griffin. I am not some weak, overly emotionally damsel in need of rescuing. So I wasn't raised in the jungle and can't wrestle a tiger to the ground and kill it with paring knife. So what? I'm smart and resourceful and I'm not afraid of Michael Stansville III."

She was getting louder as she ranted and people were starting to look. Henry frowned, pulled her to her feet, and propelled her towards the doors. Jasper watched; wide-eyed and wisely stood back, outside the line of fire. Jasper followed them discreetly as Henry took Maggie outside. He let her go when they cleared the doors and she rounded on him with a punch she'd learned in her martial arts dance class. He easily caught her fist. Furious, she tried to pull free but he wouldn't release her.

In a low voice he said. "Maggie I don't think you're weak. I think you're amazing. But you just tried to hit me. This proves that you're not your normal rational, analytical self. You are too close to this Maggie. Coupled with the fact that you won't talk about it and keep trying to pretend that you're fine what else am I supposed to do?"

She tugged free again and this time he let her go.

"You could trust me to know when I've hit the wall. But I guess that is just too much to ask of one of my best friends. Come on, Jasper. Take me home."

She turned and walked away, heading down the front steps. Jasper approached Henry and clasped his shoulder.

"You know Casanova; I think you're technique needs some work."

Henry shrugged him off. "I'm sorry Jasper. I knew she'd be upset but if I can't help it. She is never going to be in the same room with Michael again if I have my way. I've got to talk to Dr. Riker. I'll see you at home." He started to walk away. He was almost to the front doors when Jasper's voice stopped him.

"Henry." He paused. "I understand how you feel. I wanted to kill him too, but I've known Maggie longer than you have. You can't treat her like she is made of glass. She'll only resent you for it."

"I know that Jasper. Believe me, I know that, but I can't…" He'd been about to say that he couldn't seem to let go of the churning rage in his gut but he couldn't force the words to come. Every time he saw Maggie; his courageous, confident, intelligent, Maggie, cringe in fear or jump at a shadow, he wanted to kill Michael all over again. It was enough to drive him crazy.

Knowing Jasper was right didn't help anything. He sighed, resigned to his fate. If it came down to being with Maggie or keeping her safe, Henry would choose her welfare every single time. She'd hate him but at least Michael would never get to her again.

"I'll see you at home Jasper."

Jasper nodded and watched two of the most important people in his life walk away from each other. He sighed and followed Maggie. He didn't know how two such smart people could be so stupid.


	5. A Tale of Two Cousins

Henry went back inside and tried not to think about what Jasper had said to him. It wasn't easy. He had the feeling that he might have just made an irrevocable mistake sending Maggie home. He shoved that disturbing thought away. There was nothing to be done for it and he couldn't worry about it now. He had a job to do.

Henry paused behind an exhibit, just out of sight. He saw Dr. Riker and Michael still talking to the officer in the hall with a few other people still scattered here and there. He looked beyond the milling stragglers to the wide corridor that led to the main exhibit hall. The police had it cordoned off. He stood still, watchful, and formed a plan.

Henry looked to the right and saw the small office that had been turned into a coat check room. One of the female students that he recognized but couldn't put a name to was still manning her station. The iPod buds in her ears were belting out music that was a decibel below deafening. She had her eyes closed and as her head bobbed up and down she mouthed the lyrics. Just beyond her he saw a couple of male students that had signed up as valets. They were illegally smoking cigarettes near the trash can at the end of the hall and had the fire exit propped opened so the smoke would go outside. He could see their shadowed faces, red vests, and the glowing tips in the dim light. The valets had their backs turned to the board that held all of the key rings for the guests.

Henry had two objectives this night. He needed to question Dr. Riker, and also get a closer look at the display area where Dr. Sorrsen's artifact had been kept. There were still too many police officers visible beyond the yellow tape so that course of action was out for right now and he didn't want to question Dr. Riker in front of her nephew. He frowned slightly. He was going to have to ambush her.

He looked down at his formal white shirt. First things first, he had to do something about it. With the stealth of a jungle cat, Henry crouched down and quietly made his way to the coat room door. He eased it open. The girl was still jamming and didn't hear him as he snuck in. He silently started to rummage through the offerings, rejecting most for being too bulky. He was about to give up when a black patch of cotton shoved in the corner caught his eye. He eased over and pulled out a plain black hooded, zippered sweatshirt. He quickly pulled it over his head, zipped it up, and pulled the hood up to hide his features. The hoodie was a little snug, but it would do the trick.

He exited the room the way he came, still crouched down, and made his way past the coat check girl. Once he reached the corridor he clung to the shadows. He moved like a wraith until he was close enough to hear the two boys talking.

"Man Duncan, it's too bad you went to take a piss before all this went down. It was crazy."

Duncan shrugged and took a drag of his cigarette. "Whatever, it couldn't have been much of a fight. I'd take the Vegas odds on Griffin any day. Stansville is fucking pussy. I don't know what a smoking hot chica like Winnock saw in him anyway."

The other valet cocked an eyebrow. "The Ice Queen, bra she is so fucking hawt she'll give you frostbite. I would love to get frostbite from her."

Duncan scoffed. "That doesn't even make sense and dream on man, she's got the jungle boy now. He probably drags her back to his cave every night to bang her. I know that is what I would be doing if I had her. I'd wrap those fine ass legs around my waist, go deep, and never come back out again."

His friend shook his head. "And then Griffin would rip your dick off."

Duncan grinned. "It might be worth it."

Henry blocked out the other valet's reply. He looked down and noticed his hands were shaking with the effort of holding himself back. How dare they talk about Maggie that way; as if she was a piece of meat and they were hungry, rabid dogs. He realized the other boy was right, he did want to rip Duncan's dick off and then feed it to him.

Henry took a deep, cleansing breath and then slowly let it out. He had no idea what was wrong with him lately. He felt like he was balancing on the edge of a cliff. On one side was his normal, controlled, Zen like self and on the other was the churning abyss of rage and violence. He had been teetering on the edge ever since he found Maggie crying in the Doum rooms.

Extreme emotions weren't really new for him. He had always felt things very deeply, but he had always been the master of those emotions. He had never had to fight them like he had been lately.

He shifted and winced. It also didn't help that he was also dealing with his body's increasing physical responsiveness to thoughts of Maggie. Shame gripped him as he realized that Duncan's crude remarks about having sex with Maggie had stirred him. It wasn't so much the remarks themselves as it was the brief fantasy they'd triggered in his mind of laying Maggie down by a campfire on top of a sleeping bag, kissing her until they both were breathless, caressing her naked body until she was withering, and then pushing inside her.

He hated how disrespectful it was to think about her that way and at the same time he couldn't always help it. He was a human, he was a teenage boy, and he had physical wants and needs just like any other human. It was the disruption of balance in his body, mind, and soul that had him concerned.

Shaking off his thoughts he forcefully chastised himself and brought his attention back to the task at hand. He moved closer to the key board, blocked out the ongoing conversation and the stench of tobacco, and focused his senses on the keys. His nostrils flared slightly as he caught the cloying scent of cherry blossoms. It was the same blended perfume Dr. Riker had worn in Mexico. He found the key he was looking for and took it down.

He didn't immediately recognize the symbols so he slipped out the side fire door that the two valets had left propped open and approached the lot. He pressed the button for keyless entry, having grown use to Jasper's Smart, and watched the black car in the corner flash at him. Henry noted its location, quickly and quietly returned the keys, grabbed the keys to his jeep, went back outside, and crouched down behind a nearby bush to wait. He checked his watch. It was already one in the morning. He sighed.

It was turning into a long night.

* * *

Maggie was quiet on the drive to her house but her body language let Jasper know she was fuming. He would glance over at her now and again, open his mouth to say something, and then promptly shut it. It wasn't until they pulled up in front of her house that he finally got the nerve to speak.

Jasper parked his Smart at the curb, shut the engine off, and turned towards her. Before he could say anything, Maggie said.

"If you're going to defend him Jasper, I really don't want to hear it."

Jasper sighed. "I'm not going to defend him Mags but hear me out for a second, please."

She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, _do what you want. _

"Henry cares about you and I don't mean in a platonic little sister way either. I'm going to tell you something and if you ever let on that I said this I swear on the holy theorem of Pythagoras that the video I have of my eleventh birthday where you agreed to play doctor with me will be all over you tube."

Maggie's eyes went wide and then narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

Jasper smiled, cocky. "Oh yes, I would. So listen up because I am only going to say this once. Henry is one of those guys that when he loves someone, that's it for him. The people he cares about mean everything to him and he will do anything for them, even if it costs him in the end. I envy him that because I could never be that selfless. I also benefit from it because if I went to him today and told him that I still have a crush on you…he'd back off."

Maggie had been trying not to let his words get to her but when he spoke that last ones she looked up. His expression was sheepish and a little bleak. She knew what that look meant. Remorse coursed through her.

"Oh Jasper, I'm so sorr…" He cut her off.

"Regardless, my point is this. Henry loves you. Really and truly loves you and it kills him to see you hurt. His response is to go all Neanderthal on you. Don't let him get away with it, but at the same time cut the poor besotted idiot some slack. Having feelings for you could drive any man a little bit crazy."

Maggie was quiet for a moment, and then shook her head in denial.

"You're wrong Jasper. Henry cares for me because I'm his friend, not because he is in love with me."

Jasper scoffed. "Oh come on, Mags. Even you can't be in that much denial."

She shook her head again. "He just asked me to this dance for support. He even said it was just as friends."

"That's because, and again I will deny this if you ever so much whisper it again, Henry isn't stupid."

She narrowed her eyes. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Mags, you are the most intimidating girl I know, and I mean that in a good way. Asking you out is scary as hell, believe me…I know."

He looked at her solemnly and Maggie felt something in her break a little. She'd known he'd always had a crush on her, but as much as she might have liked too, she had never felt the same way. Maggie loved him, he was family, but Jasper had never tied her stomach in knots and made her knees feel like jelly. She looked at the boy next to her for a moment.

"You mean a lot to me Jasper. You know that right?"

He grinned, but it was tinged with a bit of sadness. "Of course I know that Mags. You're my best friend. That will never change, no matter what ends up developing between you and my cousin."

She smiled softly, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. Jasper closed his eyes, savoring, even knowing it was an apology of sorts. Maggie pulled away and wiped away the lipstick on his cheek with her thumb.

"Thanks Jasper," she whispered. He grinned.

"Give him a chance Mags. He's worth it." She nodded faintly, opened the door, got out, and started up the driveway towards her door. Jasper waited until she was inside before pulling away.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known," he muttered.

Jasper headed home.


	6. Revelations and Realizations

Henry had almost lapsed into a meditative trance by the time Dr. Riker finally appeared. The problem was that she had her nephew in tow. Growling slightly under his breath, he watched them approach, his sensitive hearing picking up their semi-whispered conversation.

"Get in the car. I'm taking you home and don't you dare back talk to me. I've had quite enough of you."

"I've got my own car. You can shove it auntie dear."

Dr. Riker fumed and then without warning she backhand him, catching him right were Henry had punched him. His head flew back. He doubled over, cradling his jaw.

"What the fuck did you do that for you crazy old bat!"

She drew back to hit him again but he dodged so she stayed her hand.

"You are a colossal idiot. Do you have any notion what the consequences of your actions tonight could have been? Or for that matter did you even stop to think with anything but your penis? Your actions could have ruined everything."

He mumbled something that sounded like 'bitch' but she couldn't be sure. Dr. Riker grabbed his shoulder and shoved him towards her vehicle.

"Now get in the bloody car or I'm going to ship you back to military school."

Henry watched Michael's shoulders slump in defeat as he trudged broodingly to the car. He opened the door and sat in the passenger seat, pouting. Henry shifted his weight slightly and frowned.

He couldn't talk to Dr. Riker in front of Michael. He paused, torn. On one hand he really need to talk to the good doctor and on the other he also wanted to see the display area that the artifact had gone missing from and the area were Dr. Sorreson had died. Even though he'd listened in on the medical examiner and the lead detective when they were speculating that it must have been a heart attack brought on by the shock, he wasn't satisfied with that explanation.

Dr. Sorreson had been like Dante, ancient but in the peak of physical condition and health. He knew the medical examiner would run the usual tests since there were suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, but Henry had learned through his travels that their were a number of obscure poisons out there that could be missed by the usual methods.

There was also the matter that no one really knew when the artifact went missing. The museum had specific instructions not to disturb the area until the unveiling. Thanks to what Jasper called his bat hearing, he'd overheard the chairman of the Museum board tell Detective Winston that the display was installed a week ago by an outside security firm called Safeguard Incorporated.

Henry had felt surprise course through him at the time. He knew the head of that company quite well. When he was still living in Bhutan with his parents an old friend of his father's had come to the Buddhist temple where he'd been pursing his education and training. His name was Derrick Gibbons but everyone called him Hawk. He'd been admitted to speak to the wisest elder and the head of the order to set up security for a sacred religious artifact that their sect had just been given the responsibility of protecting.

He installed the first modern technology the temple had ever seen. Hawk had also taught Henry some very useful skills while he'd been there. He was a former army Ranger, an expert in explosives, artillery, and weapons. He taught Henry how to assemble and disassemble certain types of bombs, as well as how to break down, reassemble, and shoot everything from a 9mm Desert Eagle to military grade sniper rifles. He'd yet to put the knowledge to practical use but one never knew when knowing something like that would come in handy.

If Hawk had designed Dr. Sorreson's security system for the display, that artifact should have been as safe as if it were housed in the deepest, darkest vault in Fort Knox. According to the museum direct, no one but the doctor had the access codes and as far as anyone knew, nothing had been disturbed. There was also the fact that no one really knew what the artifact was, or what it looked like, which supported Henry's theory that it was the jaguar. Dr. Sorreson wouldn't have been so paranoid about any other artifact but the jaguar.

Quickly and quietly, he used the cover of the hedges to circle around the lot to his Jeep. He unlocked the door and eased it open so it wouldn't make a sound. He heard an engine start and looked over to see Dr. Riker's car pulling out of the space. He got into his jeep and ducked down as she drove past him and then turned right at the exit. He cranked the engine, shifted into gear, and followed her; keeping his headlights off.

He wasn't surprised to see her drop Michael off at his house. He watched the other teenager as he and his aunt exchanged a few more heated words and then watched as the boy stormed off. Dr. Riker pulled away and before following her, Henry made a note of Michael's address. It might end up coming in handy.

Dr. Riker lived in a fairly upscale section of D.C. Henry found that he was dropping further and further back to tail her as the traffic thinned and the streets became progressively more residential. It wasn't until she turned and pulled up to a guard gate that he pulled over to the side and stopped.

Henry watched the guard wave Dr. Riker through the high black gate fortifying the entrance to the subdivision and then disappear back into the guard house. He then sat back down, put his feet back up, and turned his attention back to the flickering glow coming from the television set.

Henry got out of his Jeep and stealthily made his way along the wall. The guard was laughing at something on the television so didn't see Henry as he crouched down and made his way to the gate. The black cast iron monstrosity would have been intimidating to others, but Henry had spent a good majority of his formative years scaling sheer cliff faces.

Staying low, he cast a quick glance back at the guard. He was stuffing a piece of pizza in his face and laughing at the television again. Henry found a handhold on one of the ornate decorative curls, braced his foot on the bottom, and lunged upward. He caught another handhold and swiftly pulled himself up and over. He let go and landed with a controlled, nearly soundless drop. He glanced at the guard again. The man was still preoccupied with the show he was watching.

Henry scented the air, expanding his senses. He caught the smell of Dr. Riker's car exhaust and followed it. He turned the corner only to come to an abrupt halt. Dr. Riker's car was pulled up half on the curb and half on the roadway. She stood in the middle of her driveway, eyes wild as she scanned the area, pointing a rather large, black, and lethal looking handgun at shadows.

"Come out you bloody bastards. Show yourselves."

Henry slow walked towards her, his hands extended. He didn't think she'd shoot him. Despite their differences, Dr. Riker was a well respected anthropologist. Well respected anthropologists didn't just wake up one day and randomly start gunning people down. Still, she was jumpy, upset, and behaving strangely. He should probably exercise some sort of caution.

"Dr Riker."

She turned abruptly. Henry stopped in the middle of the street and stared down the barrel of a HK45 compact that was now pointed right at his heart. He could almost hear Maggie in his head berating him for being a reckless idiot.

"Dr. Riker it's Henry Griffin."

She narrowed her eyes and stepped towards him. She didn't lower the gun.

"You followed me home, why?"

Henry swallowed. "To talk. You knew Dr. Sorreson better than anyone. You were his partner for five years. You're the only other person who would suspect the nature of what he was going to unveil tonight. It was why you were there."

"If you're trying to get me to confess to something Mr. Griffin, then you've made a mess of it. I suggest you leave this instant."

Henry didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere, not until you tell me about the jaguar."

Dr. Riker regarded him for a moment and then slowly lowered the gun. "I always wondered if he had ever told you about what he was really looking for. He was obsessed with finding it. It was his white whale."

"Captain Ahab was insane, Dr. Sorreson was not. Besides he…" Henry trailed off and frowned, his nostrils flaring. "I smell blood."

Dr. Riker sighed. "Yes, you do. You want answers Mr. Griffin. Perhaps it's time you realized exactly what you're up against. This way please." She motioned for him to follow her. He did, reluctantly.

Riker led him to her front door where the source of the blood smell became abundantly apparent. On her door step was a replica of a stone circle depicting the Aztec calendar. It was broken in half and dipped in blood. On her front door in dripping red was one word—Chaos.

"You want to hear about the jaguar. Come inside and have a seat Mr. Griffin. This is tale best told in private, without the possibility of others overhearing."

* * *

Maggie hadn't heard from Henry all weekend. She'd picked up her phone countless times to call him, unhappy with how they'd left things after the ball, but she'd always stop herself before dialing. Maggie had been musing almost nonstop over her discussion with Jasper the night he'd driven her home.

Jasper had told her that Henry was in love with her.

She honestly wasn't sure how she felt about that.

On one hand she'd finally admitted to herself that she had feelings for the jungle boy. He was just so…virile. She'd tried to dismiss those latent fluttery feelings as the natural psychological and physiological response of a female animal responding to the strongest, most attractive, and blatantly masculine predator in the pack.

It was basic evolution. When a female desired a mate it was the strongest, healthiest specimens that were in prime demand, as they produced the strongest, healthiest offspring. It was only natural that she would be attracted to him. She had convinced herself it was only animal, didn't mean anything, and thus could be ignored as she was never one to be reduced to her base instincts.

Now, well now she had to admit that she'd been lying to herself. Whatever was between her and Henry had never been as simple as animal attraction. He'd been her friend, her confidant, her shoulder to cry on, her anchor, and her safe haven. He'd been there for her and encouraged her in a thousand insignificant but meaningful ways.

He was the reason she was going to try to be an astronaut instead of settling for being an astrophysicist. He was the reason she didn't cave under extreme pressure as much as she used too.

Taken altogether it could amount to only one thing—one very foolish, very stupid, very disastrous thing.

She'd gone and fallen in love with the most unsuitable boy in the world. The one that would leave once he had his diploma in hand to get back to the life he loved.

Maggie sighed. She had no idea what she was going to do now.

With the weight of her newfound revelation weighing her down she pulled her books out of her locker and went to shut it.

"Hey Mags, how's it going?" She jumped, her hand sliding over the tiny sharp piece of protruding metal along the edge. It sliced deep.

"Ouch, dammit Jasper, don't sneak up on people like that!" Blood started to well and she quickly grabbed one of her extra shirts to staunch the flow. Jasper winced. She glared at him and pulled the fabric away so she could get a good look at the wound. He hissed and let out a low whistle.

"Sorry Maggie, man that looks deep." She narrowed her eyes and reapplied the shirt to her wound.

"What did you need Jasper?" He shrugged, sheepish.

"I was wondering if you'd seen Henry today? He took off early this morning and I need to talk to him about something I found out on the internet."

Maggie tried to keep her face expressionless as she replied. "I wouldn't know where he is. I haven't talked to him all weekend."

Jasper muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn clueless idiot," but Maggie couldn't be sure.

"My dad was pretty upset with him when he decided to strolled in at the crack of dawn on Saturday, with no word and no explanation about where he'd been all night. Needless to say after I assured my dad that Henry wasn't out corrupting you and that I'd taken you home; he was still pretty livid when he refused to offer anymore information. Last I heard dad had grounded him till he was forty, with the possibility for parole by the time his thirtieth birthday rolled around. Of course that was contingent on good behavior."

Maggie turned to him, frowning. "Let me get this straight. Henry was gone all night long and refused to tell you where he'd been?"

Jasper shrugged. "Pretty much. I tried to get him to tell me but you know how tight lipped he can be when he wants to be. Since there were no obvious external injures I decided to respect his right to privacy."

She scoffed. "You mean you conceded defeat."

"I prefer to call it a tactical retreat."

With an angry huff she slammed her locker shut and stalked in the direction of the Doum rooms.

"Where are you going? Class starts in five minutes!"

"I'm going to find that Neanderthal and give him a piece of my mind!"


	7. The Trouble with Being Henry

Maggie might not have bat hearing or the nose of a bloodhound, but she did have a genius level IQ. Henry Griffin could run, but he couldn't hide. Not that it was so incredibly hard to find him. There was only one place all of them seemed to gravitate towards when they wanted to be alone.

She wasn't surprised to find him in his boss's office in the Doum rooms. Henry appeared to be absorbed in whatever it was he was reading, but she wasn't really surprised when he said without looking up.

"Shouldn't you be in class Maggie."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"How do you always know it's me? And never mind, that's beside the point. Where did you go after the ball Henry?"

Her tone left no doubt that she was still angry with him and that if he valued his manly parts it might behoove him to answer quickly. Henry liked to live dangerously so he stayed silent.

She stalked forward and only stopped when she was standing next to him. She poked him in the chest with her finger.

"I asked you a question Griffin." He caught her wrist and looked up at her. She sucked in a startled breath, her pulse beating wildly.

"You smell like tree tea oil and vanilla with a hint of lime, that's how I always know it's you. No one else smells like you do."

He caressed her pulse with his thumb and Maggie felt herself blush all the way to the tips of her ears. She tried to pull away but he held fast.

"T-That's not what I…Henry stop t-trying to distract me. I want to know where you were."

He narrowed his eyes and focused on the shirt wrapped around her palm. "You're hurt."

She rolled her eyes. "I accidentally sliced my hand open on my locker. It's no big deal." He frowned, opened the bottom desk drawer, and took out the first aid kit.

He pushed back a little and never releasing her hand he pointed with his chin at the desk top. "Have a seat."

She tried to tug her hand free again and he simply looked at her, bemused. She huffed. "Fine, if that's how you're going to be about it." She perched on top of the desk with all the finesse of a petulant five-year-old being sent to time-out.

Henry bit back his smirk. With deft movements he opened the first aid kit, took out a bottle of peroxide, and placed it on the desk top next to her hip. Gently, he unwrapped her hand. She hissed slightly when he pulled the cotton away from the wound.

He caressed her pulse point soothingly and Maggie couldn't suppress her shiver. He had no idea what that simple gesture did to her every time he did it. It was meant to comfort her, but for as long as she could remember all it seemed to do was make her body feel uncomfortably hot. Her skin was extremely sensitive there and his thumbs had calluses on them that made the pads rough. That simple gesture made her womb clench and caused butterflies to dance in her stomach. It was truly pathetic how much she loved it when he touched her like this.

She was brought back to reality when Henry said. "I'm sorry Maggie, but this is going to hurt." He poured peroxide into the open wound. Maggie screeched and he quickly started blowing softly on the cut to help take the sting away. She felt her eyes watering.

"A little warning would be nice next time, Griffin." He winced, chastised. She'd reverted back to calling him by his last name. It meant she was still pissed. He quickly but gently put some antiseptic ointment on the cut and used a gauze pad and some gauze tape to bandage the wound. He pushed away, released her, and started putting the supplies away. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

Maggie felt bereft for a moment and then reminded herself that she was still mad at him. "You still haven't answered my question."

He sighed and turned back to the book he was reading. "And I'm not going to. I don't want you involved Maggie. I'm sorry but I can't tell you where I was. It's too dangerous for both you and Jasper."

"Too dangerous," her voice was low and lethal. A sane man would have run. Henry stayed where he was. "Too dangerous…Henry you-you troglodyte! Since I've met you I've been held at gun point, held hostage at knife point, been almost eviscerated, poisoned, crushed, and pureed and you have the audacity to tell me that this is too dangerous for me to be involved in?"

He looked up at her, his hazel eyes sincere. "Yes. I'm sorry Maggie."

She poked his chest again. "You listen to me Henry Griffin. You have no right to keep me out of this and if you think for one nanosecond that I'm just going to stay out, then you don't know me half as well as you think you do. If you don't tell me where you were and what you were doing Friday night right this instance, I am going to drive over to Michael's house and make him tell me what you're involved in. After all, I already know that you wanted to question his aunt. I can follow a trail of clues just as well as you can."

His whole body went stiff. "You're not going anywhere near Stansville."

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a wicked little half smile. Her eyes were flashing. "Watch me, jungle boy."

She moved to jump down off of the desk but Henry was too quick. He jumped up, wrapped his arms around her, and pinned her to the desk top. Much to her disgust, she felt a tremor of fear dance along her spine along with a tremor of excitement.

"Let me go," she growled. He met her angry eyes with his own equally angry ones.

"No," he replied. She started to struggle and push against his chest.

"Dammit Henry, release me right now before I give you a demonstration of what I learned recently in self defense class."

He shook his head and Maggie lifted her knee. He dodged at the last second, saving little Henry from a crushing blow. He stared at her, stunned.

"You were going to knee me in the…" He shook his head, his eyes filled with frustration and helpless anger. "Why Maggie? Why are you being this way? Why can't you just let it go?" His voice had a pleading note that she'd never heard before. She shook her head and felt tears well.

She blinked them back and growled in frustration. "Because I am not helpless! I will never, ever feel helpless again, do you understand! And you keep shutting me. I-I thought you trusted me. I thought w-we were a team—all of us. But you won't let me—let us, help you. Why won't you let us help you?"

Henry took a shuddering breath, leaned his forehead against hers, and shut his eyes. He opened them, stared at Maggie, and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. He sighed, long and deep, as if the weight of the universe rested on his shoulders.

"Henry?"

He closed his eyes again but didn't move away. "I'm sorry Maggie. Of course I trust you and I'm sorry I was shutting you out. It's just…It's Stansville…he makes me crazy. I've never had this—this kind of rage inside me. It's there now, all the time, every time I think about what he almost…" He abruptly pulled away from her and sank back down into the desk chair in defeat. He looked up at her looking…lost. It broke her heart.

She gazed back at him stunned, silent, and bleeding for him.

"Those times before I was always there to protect you and the one time I wasn't you were almost…Maggie, it's eating me alive and now he's connected to this and I don't want him anywhere near you. I just want to protect you, why won't you ever let anyone protect you?"

His voice broke a little and Maggie felt her heart melt. That was what this was all about? Henry thought he'd failed her and now he was being overprotective of her? It all made a weird kind of sense. After she'd broken up with Michael, Henry had become her shadow. He'd followed her everywhere until the day she'd finally lost it with him and told him to leave her alone. She had thought at the time that it was because he'd lost faith in her ability to protect herself; when all along it had been because he was beating himself up because he wasn't there to save her.

She pushed off the desk, knelt down in front of him, and took his face in her hands.

"Henry I do let you protect me. But wrapping me in bubble wrap and putting me away in a closet is not going to do either of us any good. You also have to trust that I can take care of myself. What Michael tried to do to me…was horrible, and yes it scared me, and made me more cautious, but he didn't break me. He will never break me. You have to let me face my own demons."

He gripped her hands, pulled them away from his face, and held them tightly in his lap.

"I want to kill him Maggie. I want to kill him with my bare hands. I've never felt this kind of rage before. I never thought myself capable of it. And it won't go away. It just keeps churning. I've tried every meditation I can think of—but it won't go away."

"Why?" She whispered. "Why won't it go away?"

He looked at her, bleak and tortured. "Because it was you. He tried to hurt you."

She nodded like she understood and he looked down at their entwined hands again. He took a deep, cleansing breath, stood up; forcing her to stand with him. He released her hands and paced to the other side of the room, running his hands through his hair in agitation.

"You're right Maggie. We're a team and frankly I could use your help right now."

She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean you're done with all this macho trying-to-suffocate-me-in-a-padded-room-to-keep-fragile-little-me-from-being-hurt bull crap?"

He paused. Despite her jesting tone he knew she was serious. He answered honestly.

"I don't know Maggie. I make no guarantees. You are too important to me and Stansville has me on edge. I don't know what sort of game he and his aunt are playing and that makes me nervous. Even though Dr. Riker was pretty forthright when I questioned her Friday night, I still got the feeling she was hiding something."

"So that's where you were. You were questioning Dr. Riker. Why didn't you just say so?"

"Because if what she told me is true, then this world is in a great deal of trouble."

Maggie frowned in confusion. "Why? What did she tell you?" Henry stopped pacing and met her gaze. He looked serious and foreboding.

"She told me that despite what the Medical Examiner would say, Dr. Sorreson's death was no accident. He was murdered by a centuries old cult that has only one objective."

Maggie gazed back solemnly. "And what objective is that?"

"Armageddon."


	8. You Can't Pick Your Family

Maggie Winnock had skipped class. This was almost too much for Jasper to process. He counted the occurrence among portents and omens of impending doom. It was in the same league as famine and plague, two of the seven signs of the apocalypse. He truly wasn't expecting to find survivors when he finally caught up with Maggie and her prey.

He wasn't surprised to find her in the Doum rooms with Henry. He was surprised to find him still breathing and enveloped in such a cozy setting with the young woman that had wanted to eviscerated him less than an hour ago. They were sitting close together and seemed to be involved in a serious discussion. He took a moment to watch them, noting their body language.

Henry was angled towards Maggie while she leaned in. Their knees were touching and every so often their shoulders or hands would brush together. Jasper felt both elation and a bit of sadness as he watched them. He'd known Maggie a long time, and despite their differences she'd come to mean a lot to him. He'd even believed himself in love with her once, but he now knew that had not been the case.

Jasper had been infatuated with her. She was smart, beautiful, and brave, and the truth be told as much as he'd been fascinated by her, she'd also terrified him. He loved competing with her, arguing with her, and they'd always had fun together, but in the long run he knew…he couldn't handle her. Besides, he'd always suspected that she'd been infatuated with Henry pretty much since the day they'd met. She could fling all the haughty disdain she wanted, but his cousin had gotten under her skin.

Henry had stayed there too. No matter how many times she'd scratched, denied, ignored, and dismissed him. Henry remained.

His cousin had wrestled crocodiles in Australia, scaled vertical peaks wearing nothing but a loin cloth, outrun big cats intent on making him dinner, thwarted poachers, caught murders, rescued hikers, and generally done every harrowing, heroic deed on the planet. He was perhaps the only one on earth who could handle Maggie Winnock and not let her walk all over him.

When it had become apparent that Henry returned Maggie's feelings, Jasper had decided that he was cool with it. Part of him would always love Maggie, but he was man enough to admit that she would eat him alive and then pick her teeth with his bones. Grinning at the image he cleared his throat and watched in amusement as they jumped apart.

Both his cousin and his best friend flushed in embarrassment.

"You know if you'd wanted a place to play footsie, I hear the janitor's closet is nice this time of year. You can barely smell the antiseptic odor of solvent if you fool around under the air conditioning vent."

Maggie turned red and glared at him and Henry looked confused as per usual. "What's footsie?"

Jasper smirked. He could always count on his clueless cousin to pick out the most potentially embarrassing aspect of a sentence and ask him to explain further. Sometimes it was almost too easy.

"Mags, would you care to elaborate?" Her eyes promised retribution while her face turned an even brighter shade of red. She was starting to look like a tomato.

"You are going to pay, Jasper Bartlett. When you least expect it, I can assure you that you will pay," she whispered under her breath.

Maggie had that look about her, the one that promised a slow, excruciatingly painful death. Jasper had to admit that he was a little freaked but he wouldn't allow himself to show it. The minute he showed weakness she would pounce. Henry, bless his primitive little heart, still looked befuddled.

"Why are you red, Maggie?" She blushed even brighter, if such a thing were even humanly possible.

"Well, you see…that is…" She trailed off and narrowed her eyes at Jasper. "You're cousin can explain since he is the one that brought it up."

Jasper's smirk turned evil. "Footsie: the technical definition is the flirtatious playing of feet beneath a table, but it's also another way of implying making out."

Henry looked even more confused. "Making out?"

Maggie had finally had enough. "Jasper you're just making things worse, and Henry making out is when a romantically attached couple does sexual things to each other but stops short of having sex."

She managed to get that out but she wouldn't look at him. Jasper of course felt the need to add. "You know, kissing, groping each other in inappropriate places…stuff like that."

"Oh well, why didn't you just say so? I am already well versed in making out, of course I was almost killed because of it…"

Both Jasper and Maggie froze; their jaws agape. Maggie was the first to recovery. "How…when?...Henry what do you mean you're well versed?"

He shrugged, nonchalant. "My parents traveled with the Bedouin when I was thirteen. The tribe we were traveling with took refuge on this sheik's lands when a sand storm hit us. I got lost in it and accidentally stumbled into his harem. There were a few girls there that weren't much older than I was and apparently they found me attractive. They taught me a few things about kissing and gave me some tips on how to please a woman. The sheik was mad though. He wanted to turn me into a eunuch. Luckily I got away before that could happen. It was a most fascinating experience though."

Jasper looked at his cousin with new found respect while Maggie…well she was less than thrilled. She found herself wondering just what kinds of tips those hussies gave him and if he used those techniques on them. She was also, dare she think it, jealous, which was ridiculous in the extreme. The naughtier part of her, the one that she was actively trying to ignore, wondered what it might be like if Henry decided to use that knowledge on her. Her body was quite enthusiastic about the idea while her brain ruthless crushed that line of thought.

She couldn't help but spat. "You know as much as I loved to hear you brag about your sexual prowess perhaps we could get back to more important things. Like say, I don't know; your insane theory about the pending apocalypse."

Jasper snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. You've got to see what I found in the online library journals. Here let me show you." Jasper pulled a sheath of printed papers out of his bag.

Henry frowned, puzzled, and took the papers from him. He looked at the title and looked back up at his cousin, startled. "This is Dr. Sorreson's doctoral thesis."

Jasper nodded. "Circa nineteen sixty-one."

Henry smoothed the pages out on the desk and started to read. He was very aware when Maggie moved up behind him to read over his shoulder. All this talk of making out had made him even more hyper aware of her then usual. He lost his place as her unique scent surrounded him. He breathed deep, taking it in, and almost gave in to the urge to close his eyes. He was brought back to reality when she leaned forward and he felt the swell of her breast against his shoulder.

"This paper is about doomsday cults. He's followed every major reveled religion as well as some obscure tribal rituals and ancient rights. He ties everything to the Aztec calendar and the fifty-two year cycle. He states here that the Mexica people believed that a great battle was fought, requiring many sacrifices, every fifty two years that the sun moved across the sky. It was the sun's weakest time and had the greatest chance for darkness to win and overthrow the sun."

Henry felt her move against him. In his elevated state of awareness it was torture. He choked out.

"Is this anything like the twenty twelve myth? The one that states the calendar will end in November of that year and with it the world?"

Maggie shook her head, 'no.' "That myth is based on the Mayan calendar. The Aztec calendar is different. Besides, this idea that the sun is going to wink out is ludicrous in the extreme. It doesn't have enough mass to explode in a supernova and it won't evolve into a red giant for another five billion years."

Henry swallowed past the lump in his throat, gathered all the meditating skills he had, and ignored Maggie's body brushing against his own. It was surprisingly difficult. She was barely touching him, like a whisper against skin, but he felt it down to his core.

"Regardless, this cult that Dr. Sorreson is hinting at doesn't believe in science. It believes in the power of blood sacrifice. Whether you believe they have the power to end the world or not is beside the point. What matters is, if what Dr. Sorreson says here is true, they are going to try. Someone is going to end up dead; maybe a lot of someones."

Maggie moved away from him to pace. He breathed a sigh of relief. She cocked her head to the side and regarded him. "You sound as if you believe this crazy theory about the end of the world."

Henry swiveled the chair to look at her, keeping his groin hidden under the desk. It wouldn't do for her to see how much she'd affected him.

"I've seen a lot of things throughout my life that cannot be explained by science. I've leaned not to discount anything as impossible; even the idea of a god's essence being trapped in an idol."

Jasper piped in. "You've got to admit though, Henry. It doesn't seem likely."

Henry turned back towards the paper. "Likely or not, Dr. Sorreson believed in it enough to dedicate his entire life to finding that jaguar. We have to get it back for him."

Maggie looked like she wanted to argue some more but at the look Jasper gave her, she clamped her lips shut. Instead she said. "We don't even know if it was the jaguar that was taken. No one can confirm it. I even checked with a friend of my father's that is on the museum board. Dr. Sorreson was very secretive about this display. He even had an outside security agency set it up. It was highly unusual but due to his spotless reputation they museum allowed him to set up the display without revealing its contents. The case could have held anything."

"I knew Dr. Sorreson. The jaguar was the only thing he would be so secretive about. He was both in awe of it and frightened of it. He would have considered it dangerous and at the same time, after a lifetime of searching, I don't think he could help himself not to reveal the accomplishment to the world. He would have taken every precaution to mitigate the danger."

Maggie nodded, thoughtful. "So what's our next move?"

Henry regarded his friend and his cousin steadily. "Breaking and entering. We need to find Dr. Sorreson's temporary office and confirm that it was the jaguar in that display case and find out exactly what he'd discovered about it and the cult."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'm going to assume that you are going to need my access card for this."

He nodded. "Yes, sorry Maggie."

She sighed. "It's amazing that we all haven't ended up in jail."

It was Jasper who answered, a wicked smirk curving his lips. "I'm sure if you ask nicely they will let you and Henry share a cot. He can show you what he learned from his harem girls."

"Jasper!" she cried, outraged. He sprinted away, laughing and she gave chase. "Ohhh, come back here! Jasper Bartlett you are in so much trouble!"

Henry watched his friends go and the looked down at the little problem that had grown larger at Jasper's teasing suggestion. He closed his eyes and groaned.

Maggie Winnock was going to be the death of him.


	9. Hot, Bothered, and Bewildered

It wasn't until after lunch that Henry, Jasper, and Maggie had the chance to go searching for Dr. Sorrosen's office. It was Maggie's free period and Jasper and Henry only had study hall, which they skipped. None of them anticipated a lengthy search. After all, how many offices could there be in the museum whose door was crisscrossed with yellow crime scene tape? In order to cover more ground they split up. Maggie took the west wing, Jasper the east, and Henry the north. If they found nothing they were going to meet back at the rendezvous point and check the south wing together.

Maggie, as a museum dosein, had access to many parts of the museum that Henry and Jasper did not. This included the security room and the device they used to make and issue the electronic key cards. In the middle of a rather nasty adventure during their junior year involving pirate treasure, she'd abruptly decided she was tired of scaling the outside walls and crawling through the air conditioning ducts to gain entrance to the offices. So during one of her shifts she'd snuck into the security room and made a copy of the security head's pass key. It was a master key that would open any door in the museum. At the same time, she'd also hacked into the computer and erased the electronic signature from it, turning it into a ghost key. This meant that she could swipe it anywhere in the museum and it wouldn't be recorded in the security records.

She had been able to justify this rather gross ethical breach by telling herself that as long as she was the only one who used the key, then it wasn't a violation of her contract with the museum. After all as a dosein, she was allowed to accesses almost any room. Her movements simply weren't being tracked when she used the ghost key. It was a tenuous justification, but it soothed her conscience.

Since she was the one with the master key, they'd agreed before separating that whoever found the office would text the others and they would meet up to search it together. Maggie was surprised to feel her phone vibrate against her leg so soon. She frowned, pulled it out of the pocket of her jeans, and checked the display. It was from Jasper.

_Snagged by hms, tell H abort. Knw he's awol._

Maggie cursed under her breath. Jasper had been nabbed by the hall monitors. It was the nickname he'd given to the museum guards. Their duties not only included guarding the exhibits but also policing the students that had a tendency to see class attendance as optional. Jasper was being escorted to his dad's office this very instant, and the others would be on the look out for Henry. Thankfully, Henry was very, very good at evading capture.

She shot him a quick text letting him know what had happened and continued searching the small area of offices in the side hallway, just off of the room that contained the museum's permanent Egyptian collection. She was poking around the far end when her cell phone buzzed again. She took it out and checked the display. This time it was from Henry.

_North end by the Intuits. Found it._

So they'd put Dr. Sorreson in one of the offices near the Eskimo exhibit. Maggie's brow furrowed. It was strange that he'd been put there. It was the most out of the way bank of offices and storage closets the museum had. Mulling this weird occurrence over in her head, she backtracked the way she came and made her way to the exhibit. She stopped short when she got there.

Ike, one of the guards she knew and one of the pair that had backed Henry up against Dr. Riker the night of the ball, was slowly circling the exhibit area. She shrank back and almost let out a yelp of surprise when a strong arm circled her waist, a hand clamped over her mouth, and she was pulled suddenly into a dark enclave behind one of the display cases. Maggie found herself pressed against, a very warm, very male body.

"It's me, Maggie." Henry whispered next to her ear.

"What the heck do you think you're doing," she hissed softly.

He shifted and the contact caused his chest to brush against her breasts. Her traitorous nipples drew taut. She bit her lip to hold back the low moan that threatened. Henry, curse him, seemed oblivious as he shifted, his arm still around her waist holding her close.

"Sorry, they were looking for me and I knew that if they saw you they would know that I had to be around."

Maggie nodded and he felt the movement against his cheek. Henry closed his eyes and resisted the urge to bury his nose in her soft hair. Holding her this close was an exquisite form of torture. He knew that if he turned his head just so, he could capture her lips with his own. He'd never wanted to kiss someone so bad in his life, but he refrained. It wasn't the right time, even though he knew that Maggie was as affected by their current position as he was. He could feel her body's response to his in the way she shivered slightly and by the subtle signs of arousal. It hearten him to know that she wasn't immune to what was happening between them, even if she was still denying it.

Maggie, unaware of the direction his thoughts had taken, was in turmoil. She'd recognized the same opportunity. All she had to do was turn her head and she'd be kissing Henry. She wanted to kiss him, but at the same time she knew it was a bad idea. She bit her lip.

"Do you think they're gone yet?" He shook his head slightly.

"I can still hear Ike's boots." She nodded and tried not to groan.

Henry shifted again and pure heat shot through her. He felt amazing against her; she could feel the defined strength of him, the flex of his arms, the ripple of abdominal muscles, and the feel of his hard thighs. He was toned in the way of someone who'd gained their physical perfection from the lifestyle they led and not the gym. He was her very own personal Tarzan, and he had no idea how heady that thought was to her.

This was why she tried not to get into these situations with him. She loved him, she'd finally admitted that to herself, and she was insanely physically attracted to him. Despite all that, she knew she couldn't allow herself to have a romantic relationship with him.

Years ago when she'd first met his friend Tomba, she'd said that boyfriendville was someplace she'd never go with Henry. Her reasons were the same now as they'd been back then. He was leaving and she couldn't live the kind of life he wanted to. Maggie admitted to herself that she enjoyed their adventures, but she wanted more from life. She had a plan, she had goals, and she had things that she needed to accomplish. There was no place for Henry in those plans.

Henry was drawn to trouble and mysteries. When something bothered him or seemed hinky and suspicious, he couldn't let it go. He had to investigate. It was true that over the past two years he was getting better at indulging in normal people fun, but that didn't mean he would ever be able to give up Henry fun.

Henry fun was often times dangerous, always harrowing, and sometimes just plain scary. Maggie may desire to enter what some may consider a dangerous career, but it was also a minimal risk one. Space exploration had a certain level of risk, but it also had years of science, engineering, and experience behind it.

Henry's risk involved charting the unknown, living by a person's wits, and making things up on the fly. He was an explorer and an adventurer and as much as Maggie was drawn to him because of that, she was practical enough to realize that those traits led to wanderlust.

If she realized her dream, she would sometimes be in space for a couple of months but she'd always come back home. She'd have a home base where she could lay down roots. If Henry pursued the lifestyle he wanted, he'd be just like his parents. He'd never have a home base, never put down roots; instead he'd always be looking towards the next quest, the next adventure.

Maggie preferred her adventure like she preferred her life…controlled. All these old arguments didn't seem to be cooling her down like they use too. He moved his hip and it pressed their lower bodies together briefly. Her breath hitched. He was…Oh God. She wanted to scream in frustration. She never should have admitted her feelings to herself. It was making everything a hundred times worse.

She was startled out of her thoughts when he leaned in.

"He's gone, we can go."

He pulled back and released her waist, allowing her to put some much needed distance between them. Then she made the mistake of looking up. The look in his eyes was mesmerizing. He stared deep into hers and then lowered his gaze to her lips. She bit her lower lip and his eyes flared.

"Henry?"

He moved his hand up and ran his thumb over the soft skin of her lower lip. She gasped slightly and released the pink flesh abruptly.

He pulled back and stumbled out of the enclave. "W-We have to go. Come on."

Maggie sighed and followed him. She was had a motley array of feelings swirling around her mind and body. She was unbearably aroused, confused, disappointed, relieved, heart sore, and discombobulated. She followed him silently and a new emotion started to simmer—anger. He couldn't be doing this to her. She had more control than this. They would be a bad idea. They'd end up hurting each other.

All the arguments swirled and she became more and more despondent and pissed with each one. To her relief, they reached Dr. Sorreson's office and this allowed Maggie to regain the focus she desperately needed. To her surprise the expected crime scene tape wasn't there. The only reason Henry had identified it as Dr. Sorreson's was because of the lingering scent of Bay Rum aftershave and pipe tobacco, signature scents that always lingered around his old friend. She retrieved her pass key, swiped it, and watched the electronic light turn green. She quietly pushed the door open and they both slipped inside. Stealthily, Henry made his way over to the desk and turned on the small lamp there, making sure to turn it away so the light couldn't be seen through the cracks under the door.

He was all business as he turned and said. "Check those file cabinets over there and I'll check the desk." She nodded and went to work. They worked silently for a few moments and the quiet was getting to Maggie so she asked.

"You never elaborated on what exactly you and Dr. Riker discussed."

Keeping his voice low and his attention on his task he replied. "Well after she finally determined I wasn't a threat to her and lowered the gun…"

Maggie's gasp cut him off. He looked up and she was gazing back at him, her dark eyes angry. "She pulled a gun on you! And you just finally decided to tell me about it now?"

He shrugged. "You didn't ask before."

"I shouldn't have to ask!" She exclaimed in a low hiss. "Normal people volunteer that kind of information, normal people don't consider being held at the point of a deadly projectile weapon just another ordinary occurrence, normal people…"

He cut her off, his voice slightly angry and a little hurt. "We've established that I'm not normal. Thanks for the reminder Maggie. Do you want to hear the rest of this or not."

She sighed, her anger deflated. She hadn't meant to be so callous with his feelings. She knew, that despite all his self confidence, it sometimes got to him that people considered him abnormal. She hadn't meant to lash out at him. It just frightened her sometimes how blasé he was about life threatening situations. She didn't want him to get hurt.

"I'm sorry, Henry…I didn't mean…please tell me the rest."

He grunted, somewhat mollified by her apology. He resumed searching through the desk.

"The reason Dr. Riker was so jumpy is become somebody left a little gift on her doorstep. It was an Aztec calendar dipped in animal blood."

She furrowed her brow. "You're sure it was blood?" He simply looked at her and she nodded. "Of course you're sure. The super sniffer doesn't lie."

He moved to the other end of the desk and opened the bottom drawer, rifling it. "Across her door someone had written the word Chaos with the blood. That is when she invited me inside for tea and she told me that the cult that Dr. Sorreson thought he'd found evidence of in ancient Aztec culture was still alive and thriving to this day."

Maggie's frown deepened. "Can she prove that?"

He shook his head. "No, but I don't think she was lying."

She knelt down and started going through the bottom drawer of the file cabinet.

"I don't know Henry. It all seems a little too convenient. Dr. Sorreson collapses from what appears to be a fatal heart attack, an artifact that may, or may not be the jaguar is taken, and there is a threat made against the only other person who would have motive to take the artifact."

"She is also the only one I can think of with any motive to kill Dr. Sorreson," he added.

She looked up. "We don't even know if he was murdered Henry. He was an old man. If what you believe is true then the shock of finding his life's work gone, might have caused his heart give out."

Determined denial turned his face mutinous. "I had Jasper hack into his medical records and autopsy report. There was no history of heart disease, no major illness beyond a little arthritis in his knees. He was healthy and active and they ruled his death as undetermined. They have no idea why he died."

"That doesn't mean he didn't die of natural causes," she pointed out, reasonable.

"That also doesn't mean he wasn't murdered. He…" Henry trailed off, and frowned as he ran his hand along the underside of the bottom drawer. He motioned Maggie over and she crossed the room to stand behind him.

"What did you find?" Henry didn't answer right away. Instead he applied pressure and pulled the manila envelope off the bottom where it had been taped. He exchanged a look with Maggie. She motioned for him to open it. He stood up, carefully laid the envelope on the desk, found a letter opener, and gently slid the sharp blade along the groove.

He turned it on its side and let the contents spill out. A broken stone half circle, a Polaroid, a sheet of paper, and a journal landed with a soft thud. Henry reached for the circle first and with a grim look, handed it to Maggie. She almost dropped it when she noticed the dried blood.

"It looks like Dr. Sorreson and Dr. Riker have the same admirer," she said.

He nodded. "It confirms something else Dr. Riker told me that night. She said that he'd been getting threats and that they were escalating. She'd even confronted him about them but he still wouldn't admit to having found the jaguar."

Maggie didn't seem convinced, but she didn't want to argue. Instead, she reached for the paper and the Polaroid that had fallen next to the journal. It looked like it had been torn out of a larger book. She opened it and started to read, her eyes went wide. She quickly turned the picture over.

Excited, she nudged Henry to get his attention. "Look, this is a sheet of paper torn out of a field log and this is a catalog photo from a dig site."

Henry took the items and a slow smile stretched across his face. Reverently, he touched the photo. It was of a picture of a statue of a jaguar made of hammered gold with inlaid silver spots and ruby eyes.

"He really did it Maggie. He found it."

She was less enthusiastic. "And if this all means what I think it means, then he also stole it. He took the evidence of it being cataloged and probably smuggled it out of Mexico."

Henry looked at the items in his hands. His immediate response was to defend his friend but he also had the sinking suspicion that she was right. There would be no other reason for Dr. Sorreson to have these items, to have hid them, if he hadn't done something unethical.

"I can't believe he would do something like that. You didn't know him. He was honorable and had an unbreakable streak of integrity. He wouldn't just steal a national artifact."

She ran her hand over his arm in a comforting gesture. "You hadn't seen him for awhile and people change, Henry."

He shook his head in the negative, but he didn't reject her touch. "Not that much they don't. Maybe this journal will have some…"

He abruptly trialed off, shut off the desk light, and pulled Maggie down. They both crouched. She'd parted her mouth to question him, when he suddenly placed his finger over lips, stilling them. She shivered slightly at the contact and met his eyes.

"Guard," he mouthed silently. She nodded and to her displeasure, he removed his hand. Maggie felt adrenaline coursing through her as her fight or flight response kicked in. She fought the need to fidget. She frowned at Henry. He was so…still, like a jungle cat waiting to pounce on its next meal. She had no idea how he could remain so composed in situations like this. She always felt like she was going to crawl out of her own skin.

The minutes ticked by and Maggie felt her nerves dance. She was almost ready to bolt when Henry shifted his weight, sat down so he was hidden under the desk, and pulled her to sit between his legs. His arms snaked around her and crossed over her abdomen. The light switch by the door clicked, illuminating the office, and the soft tread of booted heels clicked against the tile floor. Maggie felt her whole body stiffen and Henry instinctively tightened his hold on her.

"Relax," he whispered next to her ear. She couldn't and he started rubbing circles against her stomach. Awareness battled the fear in gut as she half melted against him. The guard took his time checking the room as both teenagers waited to be discovered at any moment.

It didn't happen.

As quickly as he'd arrived, the guard left, and both of them released a sigh of relief. It was then that Henry became aware of the position they were in. He had Maggie in his arms for the second time that day. Powerless to resist, he buried his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. Her scent overwhelmed him.

"H-Henry," she stuttered, breathless. "What are you doing?"

He sighed deeply and let her go. She scrambled away and watched warily as he unfolded himself and stood up. He parted his lips to say…well he wasn't sure. Maybe to tell her he was in love with her and that he wanted to kiss her so bad it was all he could think about. Instead, he said.

"Let's go. Our next class is going to start soon and we need to find out how much trouble Jasper is in. We should meet up and mine and Jasper's house after school. I have a feeling that neither of us is going to be going anywhere for awhile."

She simply nodded and watched as he started towards the door. He checked the hall and motioned that the coast was clear. Maggie followed him, her confused emotions back again.

It was becoming clear that no matter how practically she tried to approach her feelings towards him, her heart and body had other ideas.

Henry Griffin was hell on a girl's peace of mind.


	10. A Push in the Right Direction?

"I'm very disappointed in you Jasper."

Jasper slumped down a little lower in the chair he was sitting in, while his father expressed his disapproval of him in that calm, reasonable tone he'd perfected over the years. His dad rarely resorted to yelling. It almost would have been comforting if he was yelling because that would mean he was only mad. This quiet reproach was worse.

"I assume you had a good reason to skip class?"

Jasper knew that was a trick question so he remained silent. His father sighed.

"Detention and grounded for a week. You can join Henry during his incarceration and perhaps if for the rest of the week you both manage not to get into any trouble then I will consider parole."

Jasper nodded, taking his punishment like a man, and slowly got to his feet. "Can I get to class now?"

The irony was not lost on either of them but his father simply nodded. Jasper left his office and noticed that Mrs. Dunsmoor wasn't at her desk. He also noticed a well dressed Latin gentleman flanked by another, more menacing looking man, standing at the counter. Jasper was startled when his dad said from behind him.

"Dr. Vega and Federal Officer Guerrero thank you for waiting. Please, come join me in my office."

Both men nodded and followed him inside. Jasper froze. There was a federale and a very officious looking Mexican man meeting with his father. This couldn't bode well. Already doubting the sanity of the plan he was formulating, Jasper looked around to make sure there were no witnesses. He climbed up on top of Mrs. Dunsmoor's counter, quickly accessed the air ducts, awkwardly pulled himself up after the third try, closed himself in, and as quietly as possible he shuffled a few feet to his dad's office. He could now see them all below him through the air conditioning vent.

"Brian," the man his father had called Dr. Vega said, "I am only meeting with you because I consider you a friend. Your sister and her husband have contributed much to the understanding of the Oaxaca people. I have a great deal of respect for their work, for your family, but your friendship with the deceased Dr. Sorreson does not look good for you."

Jasper saw his father frown. "Dr. Vega…Alejandro, my family and I have known…knew Dr. Sorreson. He was not a thief. I can't believe that he would steal from the Mexican government…from its people. He had too much respect for other cultures to resort to antiquities theft."

"And yet we have proof he has done just that. I'm sorry Brian, but the jaguar is too important to my people for me to allow friendship to stand in the way of doing my job. And as Director of Antiquities it is my job to do everything in my power to attempt to recover the jaguar. If the National Museum is unable to locate it, then I'm afraid that I will have no choice bring charges against the board. This will create an international incident, something I loathe to do. I am sorry. Consider this a warning my friend. In three days I will officially meet with you again, and the rest of the museum board of directors."

Jasper watched his father sigh heavily and then sink down into his chair.

"This will destroy the school. The museum's reputation will be in tatters. All of the work done throughout the years will be tainted."

Dr. Vega nodded gravely. "I am sorry, but you and the rest of the board should not have allowed Dr. Sorreson carte blanch when he proposed his exhibit."

"And you're sure it was the jaguar that went missing? We still haven't been able to confirm what was in that case."

The other man nodded. "We are sure. We have a witness from the dig that saw Dr. Sorreson remove the jaguar from the cataloged inventory and confiscate the records of it being found. This source only recently felt they were safe enough to come forward. I have all the proof I need. Again, I am sorry."

Jasper had heard enough. He carefully backtracked the way he came, opened the panel, and managed to drop down onto Mrs. Dunsmoor's counter without any major mishaps. He was getting better at this acrobatic stuff. He eased himself down to the floor and brushed the dust off of his clothes.

He hefted his bag and started towards class. He had a lot to think about.

* * *

Maggie was allowed inside the Bartlett household on a contingency. She was there to do homework. Otherwise, Henry knew that Uncle B wouldn't have allowed her to interact with the prisoners. To say the he and Jasper were in trouble was an understatement. Prisoners of war stuck in Guantánamo were in trouble, Henry and Jasper would be lucky to ever again see sweet daylight.

"I can't believe we are both grounded until the end of all time. What does that even mean?" Jasper whined.

Maggie swiveled the desk chair she was sitting in to face him.

"I think it means that you can kiss any minute chance you had at a social life goodbye. Too bad because there is a rumor going around that Abigail Layton thinks you're hot."

Jasper made a face and then turned on Henry. His cousin was currently sitting on the floor lotus style, studying all the files they'd managed to gather together on the current mystery they were investigating.

"I completely blame you for this." Henry didn't look up.

"For the hundredth time, I'm sorry you got busted skipping study hall. At least Maggie and I found Dr. Sorreson's office."

Maggie blushed when he said that, but neither cousin noticed.

To which Jasper replied. "A discovery that ended up being moot because of the conversation I overheard between that Vega guy and my dad, already informed us that Dr. Sorreson found the jaguar and then stole it."

Henry sighed, exasperated. "A conversation that you would never have overheard if you hadn't been busted for skipping study hall."

"Yeah but…" Jasper started to protest until Maggie cut him off.

"That's enough you two. It doesn't matter how we know, it is just important that we know. What's even more important is finding the jaguar before our school is embroiled in an international incident and gets shut down."

Henry looked steadily at his cousin. "Maggie's right. Besides, I'm sure Uncle B will forgive us." Jasper looked at him, incredulous. Henry stuttered. "A-After a reasonable period of time has passed…" Jasper simply continued to give him that look. Henry sighed. "Fine, we'll probably be prisoners until we die, but at least now we know that Dr. Sorreson did find the jaguar, that for some reason he decided to smuggle it out of Mexico, that an ancient doomsday cult may be responsible, and that they are probably still looking for it since they left that threat for Dr. Riker."

Maggie interrupted. "First, we still can't prove that this cult exists, and second, we can't prove that Dr. Riker didn't stage that scene, on the chance that anyone became curious about her possible involvement. It could have just been a coincidence that you were the first to stumble upon it."

He shook his head, disagreeing. "You weren't there Maggie, you didn't see the fear in her eyes. Plus her heart rate was elevated and her body tense. You can't fake that kind of reaction. Dr. Riker was terrified."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I would have been there if you hadn't gone all Tarzan on me and decided to go off on your own. Both of us would have been." He opened his mouth to protest but she held up her hand, stopping him. "I know, I know, you were trying to protect me, so forth, etcetera, I got it. My point is, just because she was frightened doesn't mean she didn't lie to you."

He shook his head again. "My instincts tell me…" She cut him off, again; throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"Instincts aren't facts, Henry. How many times do I have to say…" This time, Jasper interrupted.

"Hey lovebirds, cut it out. Sheesh it's like watching a cheesy soap opera. It's getting late, I'm tired, and I'm in no mood to deal with all this elevated sexual tension. Either boff like bunnies or don't, just take it outside."

Maggie turned bright red and Henry stuttered. "W-We're not…I-It's not…"

Maggie grabbed her books and shoved them into her backpack. "That was crude Jasper, even for you." She stood up and stalked off. Jasper felt immediately contrite.

"Mags, I'm sorry. Wait, don't run off." She didn't listen; instead she walked out the door. Henry gave his cousin an exasperated look. Jasper became defensive.

"What? It's getting old Henry. I thought you told me that you wanted to be with her. You're sure taking your sweet time doing anything about it though."

Henry sputtered. "It's not that simple, Jasper. Maggie is…"

"Beautiful, smart, poised, intimidating as hell?"

His cousin pursed his lips and simply nodded.

Jasper sighed. "She's also getting away. Go after her. Display that Griffin daring and recklessness that we all know and love. Cause if you wait too long to make your move cuz, you might wake up one day and find that you missed your chance."

A determined expression crossed his features. "You're right." Henry got up and followed Maggie downstairs. Jasper lay back in his bed, a grin splitting his features.

Sometimes his cousin needed a kick in the ass and he was just the person to give it to him.

* * *

Maggie had just dropped her backpack on the front seat of her car, a powder blue nineteen sixty-five Shelby Mustang GT 350, when Henry came running out of the house and towards her. She sighed, turned, and crossed her arms.

"Whatever you have to say Henry, save it. Jasper went too far and I'm mad at him. I'll call and let you know when I'm over it."

Henry stopped in front of her, his eyes intense.

"You're right, Jasper was out of line, but that's not why I ran after you." She uncrossed her arms and a shiver raced down her spin. She had a feeling that things were about to become uncomfortable.

"Maggie, about what he said, about us and the…tension." Maggie immediately whirled around, pushed past him, and swiftly rounded the hood of her car to get the driver's side.

"It's late Henry. I really should be getting home. How about we talk tomorrow at school?"

Henry hadn't moved. "I'm in love with you Maggie, but you knew that already didn't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be running away from me."

She stopped abruptly, closed her eyes, and leaned against her car.

"Henry, please don't do this." He rounded the hood and crossed over to her to stand near her. She had her back towards him but she could feel his body heat all along her spine. He was close...too close.

He leaned in even closer and she felt his hot breath along the curve of her ear. "Why Maggie? What are you afraid of?"

She turned around slowly and tilted her head up.

"Everything…this…you and me, but mostly I'm afraid of what it will change. And despite the fact that you decided to stay until you finished high school, I've always known there is a possibility that you're going to leave me…us. We're a bad idea. We could end up hurting each other, end up destroying our friendship. I don't want that to happen."

He reached up and cupped her cheek, caressing with his thumb. She melted.

"Change is inevitable, Maggie. It is the nature of the universe. If you don't take the risk, you could miss out on something really great."

She closed her eyes against his words, and then opened them. "You could also be hurt, crash and burn so bad that you never recover. That's the difference between us. I don't know that I can take that kind of risk."

He smiled slightly. "Hold that thought," he whispered. She parted her lips to say.

"What do you…ummph."

She was cut off by his mouth closing over hers. His lips did a slow slide, catching her full bottom lip, his teeth nipping slightly, before settling in like he was going to stay and taste for awhile. Maggie whimpered then groaned, her arms snaking around his neck of their own volition. Her lips parted and his tongue slipped in to tangle with hers. She was drowning in him. His arms circled her waist and he pulled her tightly against his chest. Her breasts rubbed against him, peaking, while her body fought to get even closer. She was surrounded by heat and boy.

His mouth was heaven. Wet, hot, so good that she never wanted him to stop kissing her. He did this amazing thing with his tongue that had liquid fire pooling in her stomach and lower. His hands were roaming down her back, over her butt, and then back up her spine. Hers were playing idle with the short hairs at the nape of his neck while the other ran over his shoulders and chest.

He turned his head to the side, pinning her harder against her car door, and proceeded to take the kiss deeper. He was devouring her mouth with quick thrusts and slow slides. He pulled away slightly, not losing contact, and she whimpered in protest. She could feel his grin as he sucked her tongue into his mouth, and her knees buckled. She would have fallen if she wasn't so tightly wedged between him and her car. She was going under, losing herself, and that one thought had gave her enough will power to abruptly break the kiss and pull away.

When he would have tried to kiss her again, she placed her palm against his chest, stopping him. She was winded like she'd just run a marathon and her body had turned into an inferno of want and need. She was in so much trouble.

"Jesus Henry, you're a seventeen year old boy. You shouldn't be able to kiss like that."

He grinned, smug.

"Maybe I just got lucky? Perhaps we should repeat the experiment just to make sure the results are accurate."

He tired to move in again, but she kept her hand firmly in place, stopping him. Maggie looked into his eyes. Hers were bleak and the joy reflected in his slowly faded away, along with his smile. He sighed.

"Don't do this, Maggie. Please."

She felt tears prick her eyes.

"I told you Henry. This isn't a risk I'm willing to take, no matter how good your kisses are. I'm sorry."

She abruptly pushed him back, got in her car, cranked the engine, and peeled away. Henry stood in the middle of the roadway, feeling both stunned and abandoned. He watched her run from him as fast as her V8 engine could take her. As her taillights faded into the distance one thought ran through his head.

She'd kissed him back.

Enthusiastically, passionately; it had been awe inspiring. He'd never experienced anything like it. The closest feeling he'd ever had was the involuntary sky diving he'd been forced to do, with out a parachute, when they'd busted that jewel smuggling ring in Vegas on his sixteenth birthday. Luckily, he'd been able to catch up to the thief in the air and share his with him.

That sense of free falling, of being part of the sky, had nothing on what he'd just shared with Maggie. Henry's smile was slow and wide.

She'd kissed him back, which meant that she wasn't immune, and that she did have feeling for him. It was now up to him to do the impossible. He had to prove to Maggie Winnock that she was wrong and that they were a risk worth taking.

It was a challenge he was more that up to accepting. All he had to do was break through the barriers she kept throwing up between them, convince her to admit that she was in love with him, and not ruin their friendship in the process.

It would be, as Jasper liked to say, a piece of pie.


End file.
